I am a mother of a young child aged 5years who is having a discomfort in one of his teeth and also a noticeable swelling on his gum and a small amount of yellow discharge occasionally from it. He also seems to have a couple of tooth decays. What can be done at this tender age, and what can I expect from the dental treatment.

Hello there, firstly I would like to mention here is that there is no age limit in medical science as far as any of the treatments is concerned. Children like any grown adult need their teeth for the purpose of eating food, talking (speech), muscles support, esthetics & overall growth of the jaw. What I can understand from your query is that your child’s tooth infection has spreaded beyond the tooth structure and is having a periapical /periodontal abscess which has resulted in a swelling and pus discharge from a sinus inside his gums. Firstly he needs to go to a dentist who specializes in treating small children and get the offending tooth examined. An x-ray may be required to analyze the development of the permanent dentition below it and also for the prognosis of the diseased tooth.
Pulpectomies(also same as an R.C.T for adults) can be performed very safely in children these days, which can increase the life of these teeth, as sometimes there is a huge time gap for the permanent teeth to come. The child should not remain toothless for a long time as it further has its own set of implications like permanent successor teeth coming in a different direction, speech defects, crowding of remaining teeth (arch collapse because of space), psychological stress of social interaction without a tooth, difficulty in eating & chewing food properly and the overall growth of the child. Stainless steel crowns are also available to cover the teeth after pulpectomies which increase the life of these teeth to maximum. Wishing you and your kid good luck.

•  gum swelling
•  speech defect